Webrooming Shoppers Provide an Opportunity for Brick & Mortar Retailers

We've been hearing about "showrooming" for years now – the act of people shopping in a physical store to see and touch the product they want, but looking for a better price online, usually through their mobile device. Now, many shoppers are "webrooming" – doing all their research online ahead of time and coming into the store knowing exactly what they want. In both instances, the way you interact with these customers in your store can lead to more sales.

When it comes to webrooming, people are doing extensive research online and walking in to a store to buy quickly – get in, buy and get out. Of course, a helpful salesperson can augment the researched decision with better insights, adding to what the consumer has already learned and helping them make an even more informed decision or confirm they have made the best choice already. That's the kind of in-store service that can create a customer for life.

The ability to sell via the internet, as we see with Sofa Sunday and Cyber Monday, along with mobile shopping, has resulted in more and more consumers shopping online. That doesn't mean you have to take a hit in sales, if you're a brick and mortar store. In fact, it gives you the opportunity to increase your bottom line with less overhead . Even if your site doesn't allow you to sell online yet, you can use the internet to market your goods to those who are searching/shopping online and pull them into your store with attractive offers or prices.

With the advent of webrooming, I think the power of the bricks and mortar brand is more important than ever. People are searching their favorite store vs a manufacturer’s website to find what they want. They do the research ahead of time and come in ready to buy. This is where your in-store experience can make the difference.

For example, recently I researched a TV on Costco’s site and narrowed it down to two I liked that met my criteria. I went to the store with my findings in hand and asked which I should buy. The sales associate asked me several questions and recommend one of the two, which I bought. While I wasn’t 100% sure I would buy when I walked in, the next thing pushed me into an absolute buy-now situation. The Costco in-store price had just been lowered $300, sealing the deal for me.

While I was inclined to buy from Costco, I did search other places, including Amazon, online. Once I narrowed down my choices by size and features, I did searches on the models I was considering to see if I was comfortable with Costco and to see what other retailer deals showed up. Interestingly, I wanted to buy a 4K TV, but my web search convinced me not to do so. When the store associate agreed with my thinking, it became a no-brainer purchase.

Next I went online to Best Buy looking for a related item. I called the store to see if they had what I wanted. After two call backs where they continued to help, they left my item at the customer service desk. Just like at Costco, I was in and out of the store in minutes. I felt like I was an educated consumer and chose the store I wanted to buy from because I trusted them and they were convenient. The Costco and Best Buy brands were important to my decision making.

This is why it's important that your brand, your customer service, your in-store policies and your ability to make in-store offers that push a customer towards a sale all align up in your favor. You have customers coming in ready to buy and if you do the little things right, not only will they buy right then, they'll continue to come to you for their future purchases.

Michael Morin, educated consumer and marketer